Metallic bottle-seal



(No Mode.)

J.H,BULLARD.

METALLIG BTTLB SEAL.

No. 569,854. Patented 001;. 20, 1896.

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Rms PETERS co novo-umu.. ms man n UNITED STATES PATENT FFCE.

M ETALLIC BOTTLE-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,854, dated October 20, 1896. Application filed November 9, 1895. Serial No. 568,461. (No inodeLl To all whom, it may concern.-

e it known that I, JAMES H. BULLARD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,have invented ner and useful Improvements in Metallic Bottlc-Seals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bottle-seals of that class that are permanently attached to the inside of the neck of the bottle above the cork, and which can only be removed by the breaking oif of a portion of the neck of said bottle; and the invention consists of a metal disk having depending portions integral therewith which have ribs on the exterior surface thereof adapted to engage with an annular groove in the neek of said bottle. The said depending portions of the disk inclose more or less of the compressed or otherwise reduced upper end of the cork when the latter is in place in the bottle.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a view of a portion ofthe neck of the bottle, partly in section, and showing, also in section, the seal and a part of the cork. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the metal bottle-seal.

Referring to the drawings, A is the neck portion of the bottle, having'a groove ein its interior surface near the mouth thereof. On the outside of the bottle-neck is another annular groove b, opposite the groove o, said grooves being provided one on the inside for the reception of the locking devices on the seal and the other on the outside for the purpose of so weakening the neck of the bottle at the point opposite the groove clJ that the portion of the neck thereof lying above the groove a may be broken off at will at that point, permitting the easy removal of the seal and rendering it impossible to replace the said seal a second time.

B is a Inet-al seal embodying my invention. This is made preferably of steel, spring-ternpered, and is formed in the usual manner of manufacturing such articles-viz. by cutting out a suitable circular bla-nk having the several projections thereon for forming the depending legs C and then striking up in dies to the proper shape. On each of the legs C of the seal is formed a rib D, projecting outwardly therefrom, the ribs ou all of the depending legs being in the same horizontal plane and adapted for engagement Within the groove d in the neck of the bottle.

The top of the seal B is made, preferably7 with the edges thereof bent to form a cupshaped upper portion, so as to render it practically impossible to insert any instrument between the edge of the upper portion of the seal and the inside Wall of the bottle-neck and hooking it onto the under side of the seal for the purpose of rcinovin g the same forcibly.

The operation of my invention is as follows The eorks are soaked in Water or steam, as usual, to render them soft and elastic, and then their upper ends are compressed or otherwise reduced in size so as to t in the lower end of the seal Without extending to its top. As the top of the seal extends some distance above the rib D and the cork does not entirely fill the seal, an air-space B' is left between the tops of the cork and seal, as shown. The seal having been applied to the top of the cork, it is then inserted into the bottleneck and forced in by a plunger in the usual manner. The inner edge e of the mouth of the bottle is slightly rounded, as shown in the drawings, to the end thatwhen the rounded surface of the ribs D strikes the mouth of the bottle in being forced therein the several depending legs C are forced inwardly into the surface of the cork sufficiently to allow the seal to pass with the cork into the neck of the bottle. XVhen the said ribs D come to a position opposite the groove n: in the bottle-neck, they spring outwardly, engaging With said groove and securely locking the seal in place. Besides the spring action of the legs C of the seal the cork coniined Within the several depending legs of the seal helps to force them outward against the inner face of the bottle neck and th us hold more firmly the ribs thereon in engagement with the groove d, and as the cork soon hardensit would be impossible to press the several legs C of the seal far enough into the surface of said cork to disengage the ribs D from the groove a, even if there were room enough between the edge of the top of the seal and the inner Wall of the bottleneck to introduce an instrument for that purpose. It follows, therefore, that the only method of removing the contents of the IOO grooves in its neck, combined with a cork or stopper having its upper end reduced in size.

and a metallic cup-shaped seal having the cut-away portions f and Iohe depending ribbed portions C, D,Whioh fit over the reduced upper end of the cork or stopper, substantially as shown.

JAMES H. BULLARD.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMONS. .A 

